Law Firms Have Added $30K to Big-Bucks Bonuses for Supreme Court Clerks

Supreme Court clerks jumping to law firms are being enticed with a bonus that now stands at a whopping $280,000.

The going-rate figure is $30,000 higher than the amount typically paid for the past several years, the National Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. While some firms offered $280,000 in 2011, it wasn’t until this year that the amount “took full hold,” the story says. And some firms are paying a bit more—$285,000. The Careerist and Above the Law have a summary of the article.

So far, Jones Day has hired the most Supreme Court clerks. At least five of the 39 clerks from last term are joining the firm.

Above the Law tallies the total BigLaw first-year compensation for a Supreme Court clerk. The base pay would be $185,000 and the end-of-year bonus might be $15,000, bringing total compensation to $480,000.